


Imprint of the Century

by twilightblood666



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Angst, Blood and Gore, Buffalo, Hurt/Comfort, Imprinting (Twilight), M/M, Romance, Siri - Freeform, Vampires, Violence, Werewolves, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26019658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilightblood666/pseuds/twilightblood666
Summary: Jacob Black is the Drummer of ✩IMPRINT✩, a rising star on the music scene.  Edward Cullen is the leader of boy-band Century XIX. The two have hated each other for a long time, but are forced to fake a romance when they're caught fighting in an alley. Will they be able to keep up the charade? Or will their differences be too much to overcome....?
Relationships: Jacob Black/Edward Cullen
Comments: 5
Kudos: 45





	1. x 1 x

EDWARD POV

I could see him from where I was standing in the back, behind the rabid crowd. Since some of my band-mates were friends with the members of ✩IMPRINT✩, a rock band, we, the members of Century XIX had gotten in for free. Even though the spotlight was following Adam, my eyes were drawn to the drummer in the back. Jacob Black. I tore my eyes away, in disgust, turning to Jasper. 

"Did we have to come here?" I said bitterly, "This is a waste of time."

"Why do you hate them so much? It's fun!" Jasper said, ducking slightly to avoid the foot of an oncoming crowd-surfer. 

"Yeah I love going deaf while dodging bodies... It's so fun." I rolled my eyes. Jasper smiled. 

"It'll be over soon. Then you can go back to brooding in your room."

I huffed, turning back to the stage. Back to Jacob. 

Looking at his face, I was filled with a mixture of memories, good and bad. We were friends once, a long time ago. But after it happened... Some bonds just can't be repaired. But now, there was no need for us to be friends at all. We had our own lives now. Our paths crossing by circumstance only. Two ships in the night. 

Anyway, Jacob and I had not been on good terms for a long time. None of which was my fault, of course. I was thinking for my future, he was thinking about his passion. Our dreams just weren't compatible. Somehow it has spiraled to the point where I'm physically enraged at all times. Or at least in his presence. 

"Yo man, you good? You're staring off into space..." Damon said, punching my arm. "I've calling to you for like, an hour man." I stared blankly at him.

"Oh... sorry. What do you want?"

"The rest of us are gonna hang out with the ✩IMPRINT✩ guys after the show. You in?"

I shook my head, "I'm going to go back to the hotel. This show gave me a migraine." Damon laughed at that.

"You're really not fun at all. But whatever, man. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked.

"That won't be hard..." My reply was drowned out by the sudden eruption of cheering from the crowd, as the members all lined up to throw the leftover guitar picks and drumsticks. The guitarist, Seth, waved, obviously to us. Jacob's gaze followed his band-mate's and- He met my eyes. I suddenly turned to study the posters on the wall. My face burned. How embarrassing.  
"I'm going to head out." I said to no one in particular, and made my way to the exit.

\-------

The cool breeze hit my face as I stepped out into the alley behind the venue. I pulled out a cigarette and brought it to my lips as I leaned against the wall. The back door swung open as I flicked my lighter, but I paid no mind to it, my gaze remaining on the flame. 

"You're kidding."

My eyes snapped toward the door and my heart skipped a beat. Jacob was leaning on the wall next to the door, a soda can hanging loosely between his fingers. I remained silent, not knowing where to look. 

"You still smoke? You'll need to sing through a hole in your neck." He chuckled and took a sip of his soda. 

"Why are you here? I heard there was a party. If I remember correctly, it's hard to keep you away from one."

"I needed a break," He scans my face. "And I thought I'd run into someone I didn't want to see."

I felt my anger bubble. "Same here. My head hurts from that terrible band in there. Ssould have left after the the opener."

His eyes narrowed and he took step closer. "At least that band writes their own music."

"At least my band can fill an arena."

"At least my band can- oh fuck off!" Then he surged forward, and his fist connected with my jaw. My head smashed against the wall and my vision blurred. 

"What the hell is your problem?!" I snapped, swinging my arm wildly. He caught my hand easily, forcing it up above my head.

"My problem is you and your-" He was cut off by the sound of a camera shutter. He whipped his head toward the direction. "Is someone there?"

I took this opportunity to free my hand and shove him away from me. "Stay away from me." I pushed off the wall and headed toward the door, stopping when it swung open once again.

"Jacob, where the-" Seth stepped out, stopping his tracks when he saw the two of us.   
"Seriously guys... How many times has it been now?" I pushed past him, averting my eyes, and trudged back into the building. 

If he hadn't hit me first, I would't have been overpowered so easily. In our fights in the past, we'd been more evenly matched. Had he been working out? 

I pulled out my phone, and called an Uber. I needed to sleep.


	2. ✩3✩

JACOB POV

"Look at this photograph," Jessie, my manager said, shoving a phone into my face. I was eating a sandwich, and contents spilled out onto my lap. 

"Shit"

✩✩✩

"No but seriously Jacob, what is this?? What is happening in this picture? I wanna hear it from you." She said, now that things were calmer, and I had wiped the sandwich off of my lap. I had another one now, and bag of Cheetos™. I stared at the photo.

"I was punching him." I said.

"Are you insane? Do you want your band to succeed? Century XIX has some of the most rabid fans I've seen. They will end your career if it looks like you're hurting their most popular member." Her hand was shaking as she continued to hold the phone in my face. I took a bite of my sandwich. 

"So what do I do now? I thought any publicity was good." 

"Not this kind. Trust me. We can't let this blow up. We need to make it something positive. We need a story." I nodded, chewing. The door opened, and the other members of ✩IMPRINT✩ filtered in. 

"Whats goin on?" Asked Stiles, a guitar strapped to his back. 

"Is this about that picture Jessie sent in the group chat?" As he spoke, Scott sat down beside me, taking some of my Cheetos™. I smacked him, and he flashed a smile.

"Yes it is," said Jessie, "we're trying to figure out how to fix this."

"Say they were making out or something," Scott said, patting me on the back and reaching into the bag. 

"Hey shut up" I said, slapping him again, and pulling away my bag of Cheetos™. Everyone laughed, kind of awkwardly. The suggestion still hung in the air.

"That... could work" Jessie said slowly, considering it. I stared at her.

"Are you kidding? What about my girlfriend?"

"Is she more important than your career?"

I paused.

"No, not really." 

"So then it's settled. I'll email his manager and we'll see if we can work it out."

"Hey hey hey hold on. You can't just do something like this. This is lying. If the truth comes out things could get even worse!" 

"Its guaranteed to terrible if things stay the way they are now. We need to give them a better story than a fist fight." 

I glared at Scott. 

"Nice going asshole," I hit him again. 

"It was a joke!" He yelled, moving away. "Sorry man." 

"I think it's a good idea," said Seth, who'd been standing in the back of the room. "You can always break it off cleanly later, and then there won't be as much controversy."

"But I still have to date the guy." 

"Its fake. You just have to pose for the cameras. It's no big deal. Just for a couple weeks, then you say that you've decided it wasn't working out. Easy." She said, already typing an email on her phone. It looked like I wouldn't be able to change her mind. 

"Alright... but I doubt he'll ever agree to it. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we kind of hate each other." 

"Oh no worries, he already agreed" She held her phone up again, and I snatched it from her, quickly scanning the email. What the hell was that guy thinking?

At this point, Scott had inched away, and had stood up. He made for the door. I glared at his back as he shuffled out. 

"So it's settled. We'll have a press release announcing your relationship tomorrow. Be sure to polish up your acting," She refused to make eye contact with me. "Nothing personal," she said, patting my back as she walked out of the room. Stiles gave me a pitying look. Seth smiled encouragingly. 

Shit.

\-----

The next day, I was sitting on my bed in my room on my phone, when I got a text from Seth.

SETH BAND: Hey dude, the article is up lol

JCB: Oh rip lol. There goes my gf........ i forgot to tell her

I got another text, and tapped it.

ANG: WTF

JCB: you saw?

ANG: WHO HASN'T?? WHEN WERE YOU GONNA TELL ME?? IS THIS HOW YOU'RE BREAKING UP WITH ME? FUCK YOU.

I rolled my eyes. She had always been bitchy anyway. Maybe this was the perfect way to end it once and for all.

JCB: yeah lol. bye

ANG: fuck you. I fucking hate you. seriously i'll kill you and your shitty band and shitty boyfriend. kill yourself

JCB: k lol

I blocked her number, then went and deleted all our couple pictures on social media. I stared out the window. I didn't feel sad at all.

I scrolled through twitter. The reactions online were never-ending. There were plenty of people surprised at my 'coming out,' but also, to my own surprise, most were about Edward. I thought he had already come out? He had told me back in high school, so I'd assumed it was common knowledge.

He was probably just using this to finally tell the public. At least he got something out of it too. I didn't feel like I owed him anymore. But seriously this sucked. Would I have to pretend to be gay for the rest of my life now? Shit. 

I got another text. Speak of the devil.

EDWARD (ENGLISH CLASS): did you see the article?

JCB: yeah

EDWARD (ENGLISH CLASS): u look bad in the picture. anyway we have to plan a date. let's go to dinner this weekend

JCB: why're you the one planning? I wanna go to Disney

EDWARD (ENGLISH CLASS): fine. ill pick u up at 6 on Saturday

I put the phone down and try to go back to sleep.

Alright.


	3. Chapter 3

EDWARD POV

I parked my car and debated whether to go up to Jacob's apartment or text him to come down. I decided that I didn't care enough and shot him a quick text. Five minutes later, I heard a knock on the window and unlocked the door, taking in the mess of a man that was entering my car. Jacob's shirt was crumpled and his hair was not in its usual clean cut state. He immediately leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Why do you look like that? This is supposed to be a date. There's gonna be cameras there." 

"My girlfriend came over."

"Oh..." I put the car into reverse, trying not to seem bothered. I'm not bothered. I pulled out of the parking lot. "Uh yo put on the directions to Disney or however you say that. " I looked at him with disgust.

"Eyes on the road," He said, kicking his legs up onto the dashboard and pulling out his phone. 

"Siri said turn left," Siri said

"Oh man, you got that 'Simon Says™' app?" I asked.

"Yeah," Jacob said. I turned left. 

"Turn right," Siri said. 

"So turn left?" I asked.

"No, continue straight for one mile." 

"Oh... thanks. Great app."

"Yah"

I saw the words 'Bluetooth connected' pop up on my Tesla™ screen, and swatted blindly at his phone with my free arm.

"Don't do that!" But I was immediately met with the newest ✩IMPRINT✩ single, I couldn't be bothered to remember the name of. 

"This is trash!" I yelled over it. 

"What?" He yelled back, turning it up louder. 

"Siri Says turn left" The robotic voice boomed. We both jumped. Jacob turned down the volume to a reasonable level. I turned left.

We continued in a slightly uncomfortable silence. 

After a while, I turned to him. He was asleep. He looked almost... cute like that? Maybe because he was finally quiet. I pressed the pause button the dashboard of my Tesla™, cutting off the music.

We finally arrived. I pulled to the parking garage and was met with a sea of cameras. I shook Jacob awake, and he blinked sleepily. 

"Make yourself presentable in 10 seconds. The sharks are here."

"I love sharks," Jacob said. "Did you see Sharkboy and Lavagirl? Sharkboy was cool." 

"Not really. I liked Linus."

"Of course you would." He straightened his hair in the side mirror and turned to me. "Do I look okay?" 

I paused.

"Better than before..." I turned away, focusing instead on parking. If I screwed up, there were about 10 cameras waiting to document every second of my embarrassment. Thankfully, I parked successfully. 

"Siri Says You've Arrived." 

\-----

When I stepped out of the car, I was met with an wave of bodies surging toward me. 

"Edward, Jacob! Look over here!" The flashing lights barricaded us from the entrance to the park. My eyes stung, but I managed to put on a smile for the cameras. I tried to see how Jacob was faring, but when I looked toward his side of the car, I couldn't see him. 

"Don't tell me you're having a hard time already," I felt his arm on my shoulder as he whispered close to my ear. A shiver went down my spine.

"Shut up," I said as I pulled my arm away from him.

He flashed his teeth in a teasing smile, and motioned over to the cameras with a subtle nod of his head. I swallowed and grabbed his arm with a crafted smile, letting him drag us through the swarm.

Jacob walked with an easy confidence, and the surrounding crowd seemed to ease to the sides to let us pass. I let out the breath I was holding as the path cleared. 

"What should we do first on our- why do you look so tense?" Jacob looked almost worried when his eyes met mine. I kept my eyes trained upwards, towards the architecture of the park buildings- and away from the even larger crowds that awaited us beyond the gate.

"Let's go to that one." I pointed toward one of the larger rollercoasters, determined to have at least some fun on this forced date. I felt Jacob's eyes linger on my for just a second, before he nodded in agreement. 

"I get to pick the next ride though."

We walk to the ride, still aware of the cameras on us. "Hold my hand," Jacob whispers. I felt my face grow warmer, and, still keeping my eyes averted, laced my fingers into his. The line for the ride was fairly short, but the silence in between whispered commands was bordering on uncomfortable. Jacob, seeming to feel this as well, squeezed my hand. 

"We haven't ridden something like this together since high school."

"Yeah, we used to search for the most terrifying rides," I let my mind wander in my memories for a second, but quickly reeled it in once we got to the front of the line. The attendant, obviously star struck, led us to our car on the ride personally, and made it a point to make sure our buckles were fastened properly. Twice.

"Damn, I can barely breathe," Jacob said as he tugged on his seatbelt. I felt the same, but I didn't know why as my seatbelt was not on that tight. The fit in the seats was tight. My knees butted up against the interior, and there was no way I could position myself where I wasn't pressed up against Jacob. 

"I'm hungry," Jacob said over the last minute safety instructions. "Can we eat soon?"

I glared at him.

"Are you stupid? Everyone knows you eat after all the big rides so you don't get-" the ride lurched forward, and began crawling up the track. As we neared the top of the first drop, Jacob turned to me. 

"I won't be the best boyfriend I can be if I'm hungry." I was about to respond with an insult when the cart suddenly plummeted, and I found myself unconsciously gripping onto Jacob's arm. A loud scream erupted from Jacob, but I was struggling to open any of my orifices™. The inertia whipped us up the next hill and gravity plummeted us back down. I still held on to Jacob's bicep. He'd definitely been working out. I looked at my arm. Why did I even try to punch him? In comparison, I may as well have been raw chicken. Pale, with bones that cracked easily. I suddenly got mad at Jacob again, but I was unable to pinpoint exactly why. That pissed me off even more. In my fit of unexplained malice, I shoved him. But I was much weaker, and wound up pushing myself away, nearly throwing myself out of the cart. 

Jacob turned to me with wide eyes as the ride slowed to a stop. "Were you trying to kill me or yourself?!" 

I unbuckled my seatbelt, somewhat ashamed. "Maybe both" I mumbled.

"Okay... can we eat first though?" I moved to punch him again, but noticed the swarm of paparazzi beginning to form again and instead looped my arm in his. 

"Of course" I forced a smile. Jacob pulled me toward a Mickey Mouse™ themed cafe. He then proceeded to pull out my chair for me. I sat down, embarrassed. Flicking through the menu, i was impressed not only by the range of options, but the by the lack of range in price. Everything was pricey. 

"You're paying for this," I stated as I continued perusing the menu.

"Well, I was going to offer, but now I'm curious. The band's not making enough?" He asked with a smirk. I shot him a glare. 

"We're making tons of money. Definitely more than you. I just can't see myself spending a fortune on Mickey™ shaped food while helping save your career." He rolled his eyes. 

"Fine, I'll pay."

I didn't want to do anything other than stab him with the butter knife in front of me. But I calmed myself down. This was free food now.


	4. Chapter 4

Jacob POV

From just above my menu, I peered at Edward across from me. I felt like I was waiting on a time bomb. If he could just let go of the stick up his ass, maybe we could have a good time on this date. He was the one who had agreed to the schemings of our managers, anyway. He could at least try to be a bit nicer and not try and push me off a rollercoaster. 

“Did you decide- why are you staring at me?” I blinked and Edward’s face appeared, looking back at me with an eyebrow raised. I forced my eyes back down to the menu.  
“I was staring because I chose already.” I laid it down on the table and pointed randomly. 

“You’re getting the mussels?” Damn, I hate seafood. “You hate seafood.”

“It’s been a long time since then. I love them now.” Internally I was cursing out my finger. A strange look passed over Edward’s face, but it was gone in a second. 

“Oh okay.” He started looking around, presumably for a waiter.

“What are you getting?” I asked, hoping to keep it from getting too awkward. He pointed to his choice on the menu.  
“Rib eye.” I looked to where his finger was and over to the number next to it.I could feel my wallet crying from my hip pocket. That asshole. I must have been obvious because Edward opened his mouth again.  
“What you got was just as expensive. Also I thought you were rich.” I forced a smile.  
“Of course I am.” I stared down at my menu once again. The word mussels stared back. Haunting me. We ordered our food and were back to silence, which seemed to be the main theme for this date.

I took a sip of my complementary ice water, and traced the Mickey heads pattern on the table with my finger absentmindedly. 

“So... what do you do for a living?” I looked up and found Edward looking at me with a grin on his face. I stared at him for a second, honestly a little freaked out at seeing him smile and make a joke.  
“I’m a real estate agent, but I’m hoping that my side business in lobster fighting will take off,” I replied, still unsure about the sudden change of mood. Edward covered his mouth with his hand. Was he trying not to laugh? Suddenly I saw a flash. Oh yeah, we weren’t alone. Maybe that’s why Edward started this random conversation. Somehow, that saddened me. It was probably just because I missed the freedom of our time together in high school, when we could act however we wanted without press attention. Probably.  
A few more mindless words were passed and then our food came. Including the mussels. I pushed at them on my plate with my fork, my stomach already twisting. 

“I know you don’t want to eat them, don’t be so stubborn.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, picking one up and inhaling the meat inside. I tried to swallow it without chewing, almost choking in the process. I still tasted it anyway. Yeah, still vomit inducing. Edward stared at me, his hand covering his mouth. He was trying not to laugh.  
“Shut up, I choked because it was good.”

“Just order something else, dude. Or we can switch? I don’t think you gagging on shellfish is really perfect date material.”

I sighed. “But it was like, $20.... Do you even like shellfish?”  
“Yeah, I don’t mind it. Now hurry, so we can get the hell out of here. I think people are starting to recognize us.”  
“...you’re right” I swapped the plates quickly, and wolfed down the steak. I signaled to the waiter that we were ready, pulling out my wallet. After giving him my card, he returned with the receipt for me to sign and a Mickey napkin for autographs.  
“Are you guys dating?” The waiter asked while I handed Edward the napkin for him to sign.  
“I’m sure you’ve already read all about it online.” I smiled at him, then turned to Edward, still smiling. “We’re definitely on a date right now, aren’t we?” He nodded but I felt the glare he wanted to give me anyway.  
“So,” he turned to the waiter. “You’re a fan of both of our bands?” The waiter paused, then nodded vigorously.  
“Yes I am! I mean, my younger sister is more a fan of Century XIX than me, but I like some of your songs...” I smiled triumphantly.  
“What was your name again?” I asked.  
“Uh... it’s Eric. Eric Yorkie.” He stumbled.

“Nice to meet you Eric. Hit me up on Twitter if you wanna see a show.” I felt Edward burning a hole in my skull as I shook Eric’s hand.  
“Of course. I totally will.” He nodded enthusiastically, then stood there, staring. Edward cleared his throat.  
“It was nice meeting you, but we have to get going now.” I took out my wallet and handed Eric some bills with a smile.

“I’ll be looking out for your DM, my guy.” 

He nodded furiously again, and took them gingerly, before running back to the kitchen. He had left his autograph on the table. I eyed it.  
“Ignore it,” Edward said, “We should just get out of here.”  
I looked in the direction Eric ran off in. “I’ll go give it to him.” I grabbed the napkin and left Edward scowling at my ass. 

I caught a glimpse of Eric’s jet black hair near the kitchen and I sped up to catch him before he went in.  
“Hey!” I shouted after him. He turned and I noted a blush warming his cheeks as he almost dropped the dishes he was balancing.  
“Oh-- Hi again Jacob.” He said shyly.  
He was having a hard time meeting my eyes. I put my hand on his shoulder.  
“I think you forgot something back at the table,” I held up the autographed napkin, grinning. His eyes sparkled.  
“You really went out of your way for me huh.” He teased, moving a step closer. I stepped back, holding out the napkin, hoping my expression wasn’t giving up my racing thoughts. Was this guy coming on to me?  
He smiled softly as he took the autograph, “You know… if you ever wind up leaving Edward… You can always find me in your DMs.”  
I shot him some finger guns. “Yeah… have a good one!” I turned swiftly on my heels and headed back to Edward, my face hot.  
“You sure took your time,”  
“Yeah.. that guy… he told me to dump you and get with him.” I grinned sheepishly. Edward’s eyes widened, and then he scowled.  
“OH yeah, because some greasy haired waiter working minimum wage at a Disney theme restaurant is such a better option.” He scoffed. I shrugged. He stood up suddenly. “Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the door. I felt my heart beat a little faster. He was acting strange, but he quickly became normal again.

We walked around Disneyland for about half an hour, chatting away. In a way, it was like we were 17 again and picked up where we left off. Edward, who had been uncomfortable with physical contact before, was now hamming it up for the camera. Whenever people were around, he’d grab my hand tightly. I felt my palms sweat. I wondered if he felt it too. Embarrassing. I was becoming way too aware of Edward around me. Every so often he’d brush up against my shoulder. We hadn’t been this close in years. Every touch seemed like a spark, and the feeling lingered longer than it should. Huh…

Never thought I would see you again. Everything reminds me of back then. 

Edward smirked triumphantly.  
“They’re playing my music here. Good taste.”  
I rolled my eyes. “Of course they are. It's one step up from royalty free.”  
Edward frowned. He let go of my hand and wiped it on his pants. We both stopped walking, the Dumbo roller coaster whirring beside us.  
“Do you have something to say?” Edward spat, his voice harsher than before. I fought back the urge to wince. Shit. I didn’t realize he was that sensitive to the topic.  
“Chill out, I’m kidding. The kids here love your stuff.”  
Edward’s frown deepened, and his eyebrows furrowed.  
“I know you don’t respect me, but while we’re doing this to save your career, I’d appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut. In fact, maybe start doing that all the time. It would save everyone a headache.” 

I clenched my fists. I don’t know why, but this guy always got me so mad.  
“Maybe I could respect you if you respected yourself. There’s no pride in being a sellout.” It was like something snapped in Edward.  
“I could end your career, Jacob Black. I could buy you ten times over. I made the right choice.”  
“Yeah because money is what matters to you most, Edward. But you can’t buy your friends back.”  
Edward’s face was unreadable. “Lets not do this here.” He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He began to walk away. Shit. I didn’t want it to go this way. Fake dating to save my career or not, I had been genuinely enjoying Edward’s company. As much as it hurt to admit. And now I was watching him walk away again. I heard a camera shutter. Oh yeah. Things were different now. We were supposed to be putting on a show.  
I made an impulsive decision. I rushed forward, catching Edwards arm. He froze, shocked. I thought I saw his face flush.  
“The cameras,” I whispered in his ear and then I grabbed his face and brought my lips to his. He kept his jaw locked, his lips tightly pressed together. I brought my hand up to his face, and ran my thumb across his cheek. It was wet. Had he been crying? :((((  
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. Well, somewhat sorry. But I won’t say that. I pull him closer instead, hugging him tightly. Hopefully the camera would focus on this and not the red around Edward’s eyes. Edward relaxes into my arms, his lips parting. It takes me a second, and I realize. I’m kissing him. I’m kissing a dude. I’m kissing Edward Cullen and he’s kissing me back. My face heats up. I can feel him against me. His heart is beating as fast as mine. How long are we gonna keep this up? Do I want to stop?  
Edward pulls back first, his eyes downcast. He’s a bright pink color that I’m sure I match. He grabs my hand again, and pulls me along. Neither of us says a word. Neither of us knows what to say. But it feels like something between us has changed.


	5. x5x

It was dark out when I got back home. The entire ride had been silent, save for the occasional Siri Says instruction. The mood had been miserable, and I had to force myself to pay complete attention to the road, or else Jacob and I would have ended up arguing again. 

I turned on the lights to my apartment and was greeted with Jasper sitting on my couch, his hand in a box of Cheez-Itz. 

“So how did your ‘date’ go today? I saw pictures online.” He winked. “Was that your first kiss lol” 

“First of all, how did you get in? Second of all, I kissed your mom last night.”

“Ooh defensive. So it was.” He patted the couch cushion next to him, “Wanna sit and cry about it?” 

“You didn’t answer my question. I’m gonna call security,” I sat down next to him, shoving my hand into the box and stuffed them into my cheeks. “Seriously, get out. I need to sleep and forget everything.”

“I’m pretty sure that’ll be hard,” He held his phone up for me to see. A picture of Jacob and I kissing greeted me. I could see that I was crying but I hoped people would think it was the lighting. I turned away, and stared at the T.V. screen. It was off. I fumbled around for the remote. 

I shouldn’t have cried like a little pussy bitch. I don’t know why his words affected me so much. He could never understand how difficult of a choice it had been for me. It's not like I wanted things to turn out this way. But the last thing I want is for him to console me. Especially with his mouth. I hope Jasper couldn’t see how embarrassed I felt even thinking that. 

I turned the TV on, and was once again met with the picture of Jacob and I. Fuck. 

“It's the hottest news story right now bro,” He waved his outstretched palm in a curving motion, like a rainbow, “Will it be Edward Black or Jacob Cullen?” I punched him in the arm, hard. He laughed.  
“Oh yeah my house caught on fire and my pipes burst so let me crash here please.” Jasper made a pleading puppy dog face. I scoffed.  
“Then the pipe water should've put it out. Go home.”   
“Ok I was obviously joking. But still.. It's so late. I waited here for you for so long.”  
“Did I ask you to?”  
“No… But I figured you’d want someone around.”  
“That's the opposite of what I want.”  
“So I’ll sleep on the couch.” He grinned, patting me on the back. I rolled my eyes. Maybe he was right. As long as he didn’t talk about… that… he might help me take my mind off things. I switched through the channels. Everything on TV either sucked or was about me, which sucked x2. 

In the midst of channel surfing, my phone buzzed. I glanced down and saw Jacob’s name pop up. I contemplated if I was emotionally stable enough to see anything he had to say, and ended up unlocking the phone with my face and reading it anyway. 

Jacob: Sorry….  
Jacob: I should’ve asked you first.  
Jacob: I just didn’t want the paps to see you crying  
Jacob: Not that I saw you crying  
Jacob: But uh.. Sorry for that too

I stared at my screen for a bit as Jacob’s texts poured in. I felt my previous anger flicker back to life. That stupid fucker. Apologizing like this made him seem even dumber. He was the reason I’d gotten so upset in the first place. He was the one who attacked me and started this whole fake-dating thing too. And now he was making even more mistakes. Why did I have to be the bigger person and clean up his messes? 

But as quickly as I got angry, I cooled off. I was benefitting from this too. The dating rumors were now confirmed, and the entire world population knew that I was gay, which was relieving as much as it was scary. I did have Jacob to thank for that. As stupid as he was, I do trust him. And if it had to be anyone… I’d pick Jacob over Jasper any day.   
I glanced over at my couch companion, who was engrossed by the Real Housewives of LA. Definitely Jacob any day. In some pathetic way, I had been happy to spend time with him again. We used to be inseparable, and he’d gotten me into music in the first place.   
I decided not to text back anyway, shutting off my phone and shoving it under a pillow.   
…..

The next morning, I woke up to Jasper rapping his knuckles on my bedroom door. I open my eyes enough to make out Jasper’s face in the hallway. “Your boyfriend’s here.” He smirked. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and pulled myself out of my sheets clumsily. I glared at him, but made my way over to the front door, where I saw Jacob waiting. He stood there awkwardly, his hands in his pockets. When he saw me, he gave me a once over, then locked his eyes on my face. I became very aware of my lack of a shirt.  
“You didn’t respond to my text.” He said, looking almost embarrassed. “Now that I say that out loud… I should probably just go home.” I couldn’t help but laugh. He must have been so stressed out the night before, so he rushed over without thinking. He looked disheveled, not too different from when he’d broken up with his girlfriend. I walked into the kitchen, and put on a pot of coffee. Jacob followed behind.  
“Do you want me to go?” He asked.  
“You came all this way, I figure we should talk some things out.” I said, pretty maturely I think. I was really holding my composure.   
“Like what?” Jacob asked, sitting down at the dining table.  
“I think we should start with some boundaries.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> consent and boundaries are v imporant.. even in fake relationships


	6. ✩6✩

JACOB POV 

My eyes followed Edward as he moved around the kitchen, preparing breakfast. My eyelids felt heavy. I’d hardly slept the night before, the thought of the Disney fiasco replaying in my head every time I closed my eyes. I felt like an idiot. Like a piece of shit. It may have been for the cameras, but I still felt as though I had crossed a line both of us had silently agreed upon. But we would have had to eventually, right? This was only a matter of time. No one would believe the act if we didn’t engage in coupley activities.   
Edward’s hand waving in my face brought me to attention.   
“I said, do you want eggs?” He frowned, holding a spatula and an egg.   
“I’m a growing boy,” I shrugged, “I like 'em scrambled.” Edward said nothing, not even a laugh. Good. I wasn't joking. He turned back to the stove, effortlessly cracking the egg on the side of the pan. They sizzled as he pushed them around, and the smell danced over to me. My stomach grumbled. I hadn’t eaten anything since our meal together the day before. Thinking about it made me lose my appetite… but only a little. I get up and look over Edward’s shoulder.  
“You look like you know what you’re doing,” I commented, eyeing the pan. My eyes flickered to Edward’s… bare chest, and then back at the eggs. My face heated up a bit. Must be the heat from the stove.   
“Eggs… are one the easiest things to cook.” Edward sounded proud of himself in spite of that.   
“Well, I tried to boil an egg but it caught on fire.. like the whole thing… caught on fire...”  
“Sucks to suck.” Edward offered a small smile and pointed to a cabinet right next to the stove, “The plates are in there.”  
I nodded and got two, placing them on the table. Just-in time, Edward came over with the fresh scramble and packet of cheese and took his seat across from me.   
“You put cheese on your eggs?” I eyed the orange packet.  
“You don’t?” He grabbed a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and sprinkled across his yellow hills. I shrugged and reached for the eggs at the same time Edward grabbed the spatula for the eggs. Our hands brushed and I pulled back like I had been burned. We made eye contact but neither of us said anything.   
“You go first,” Edward said, breaking the 2 second or 2 hour silence. “I already have some anyway.”  
I gave an awkward smile and fumbled around, putting the eggs on my plate. I gratefully dug in.   
“What do you think?” Edward was watching expectantly, as though my opinion of his egg making was important. And he was right.   
“They’re delicious.” I was being honest, they were really well done. “Thanks, I was starving,” I grinned appreciatively. I loved those eggs so much… I'd love to bathe in them someday if Edward bought an industrial sized egg carton. Edward looked pleased with himself as he continued to eat.   
“Now that you’re eating, I think we should start our chat.” He said, picking around at his plate.   
“Our chat..” I echoed.   
“You kissed me. Without my permission.” He said, his tone shifting. I could feel him glaring at me as I stared down at my plate.   
“Yeah I did… I’m sorry. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”  
Edward paused, looking a bit defeated. “If there is a time when we need to though…” He trailed off.  
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. You don’t have to worry.”   
“But I’m not worried. And what if it's something we can’t avoid?”  
“One kiss should’ve sold it. I’m sure we can just say they’ve seen enough.” Edward’s expression soured even more. What was I saying wrong?   
“If I disgust you that much maybe we should just break this off now.”   
“Disgust me? Where did you get that idea?” I felt a little miffed. I was trying to do this for his sake, and he’s taking things way too personally.   
“I’m doing this to help you out, aren’t I? If you’re scared I might be into you, chill out. We don’t have to keep this going if you’re going to be weird about it.”  
“Weird about it? Last time we kissed you cried. I don’t want to see that happen again.” Edward’s expression softened, his face flushed.  
“I wasn’t crying because of the kiss…” He mumbled.  
“The kiss, me running my mouth like that, they’re all because I’m the type to do stupid things impulsively. I don’t want you to cry because of me anymore.”   
He looks away.  
“I’m not disgusted by you at all, if that’s really what you were worried about.” Edward nodded.  
“I’m not disgusted by you either, for what it's worth. You just seemed so adamant about not kissing me again.”  
“I never said I didn’t like it!” I blurted out. Edward froze, his pale face reddening again. Mine did too, I could feel my cheeks burning. “I mean it wasn’t the worst…”  
“Oh…”  
“Yeah...”  
“But anyway… Next time if we, uh, have to… just ask me first.”  
“No problem. That’s easy.” My phone buzzed from my back pocket. I fished it out. It was Angela.


	7. x 7 x

EDWARD POV

From across the table, I noticed Jacob tense. He gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white.  
“Are you alright?” I asked tentatively. The mood in the room seemed to curdle and sour like week-old milk in a broken Texas refrigerator. He shook his head, scanning over whatever was on the screen a few more times.  
“Do you remember my gi- ex-girlfriend?” He asked.  
“Angelina?” I asked, trying to picture her in my head. She had gone to high school with us, and she and Jacob had started dating a few weeks after graduation. I never spent much time around her.  
“Angela,” Jacob corrected, “Though I wouldn’t mind never talking about her again.” He held his phone up for me to see. There was an unknown number at the top, and several long texts below. It read:

UNKNOWN: You fucking piece of shit. This is Angela. I’m texting you not because I give a shit about you. That would be too nice of me. I want to ruin you. To make you suffer the way that you’ve made me suffer. Do you know what they’re saying about me online???? That i was so ugly and bad in bed that i made you gay. I’ll castrate you you stupid ugly whore.

UNKNOWN: Putting that aside, you know I know what you did back then. If you want it to stay hidden and not ruin both you and your bitch boyfriend’s lives, your ugly ass better be at Hawthorne Plaza 8 pm next Friday. You know the spot. Bring me 10 k and we’ll talk. Don’t be late.

UNKNOWN: I hate your new song. Fucking sucks.

I could feel myself start to sweat. Ten thousand dollars?! What information did she have? I glanced up at Jacob, who’s expression was gloomy.  
“I’m sorry…” He said quietly. “I keep causing trouble.”  
“What does she have on you?” I asked. Jacob looked away. He stayed quiet. “Is it that bad?” He nodded.  
“You’d be ruined just by associating with me.” He mumbled. “Both of our bands would be destroyed.” My eyes widened.  
“What the fuck did you do?”  
Jacob winced, “I can’t tell you… It has nothing to do with you…. I have to go.” He stood up from the table.  
“At least finish your eggs,” I said, disconcerted. He stared down at the plate.  
“I lost my appetite. I’m sorry.” He turned and walked towards the door. I stood up and followed.  
“Where are you going?”  
He looked at me, his eyes lingering for a moment before turning back to the door.  
“I don’t know.”  
“Then, can I come?”  
“No I- I need some space right now. I’ll text you tomorrow.”  
“Can we meet tomorrow?” I asked. For some reason I really didn’t want him to go.  
“I… Yeah we should probably do more in front of the paparazzi.” He seemed to be avoiding my eyes. He opened the door, and stepped out into the hallway. Moving without thinking, I grabbed his hand. Jacob stiffened in surprise, and finally looked at me. My eyes flicked up to his lips, and I felt my face heating up. I squeezed his hand, and then let go.  
“T-tomorrow, then.” I stammered, and quickly went back inside. I shut the door, and leaned against it, sinking to the floor. What was I just about to do?? This was a strictly professional thing we were doing. To save his career. Yes. That’s all it was. My high school feelings should stay buried. I went back to my eggs.  
\--  
By the time I ran out of my apartment, it was raining. I had forgotten that I had dance practice with my bandmates today, my mind wrapped up in Jacob’s problems. I hurried from the cover of the entrance into the black van waiting for me on the curbside. My manager, Carlisle, was driving.  
“Is the rain getting to you?” I stretched out my shoulder after buckling in.  
“It always gets bad when there’s a big storm, but I can manage.”  
“You can sit this practice out if you want. You know the choreo well enough.”  
“I’m fine, Carlisle. They need me for the formations.”  
“So stubborn. Okay, just don’t overdo it.” He started driving, and I leaned my head against the window. I couldn't help but think of Jacob. He’d looked like he’d seen a ghost back there. I wondered what kind of horrible thing could elicit that kind of response. I hoped he would be okay.

In the studio, my bandmates were waiting. At the door, Rory daps me up. “What up, brotha?” He grinned stupidly. A choir of groans rang out behind him. Sitting on the floor, stretching his legs, was Angel. He nodded in my direction, then turned back to Stefan, who was chatting away. Jasper took a swig from his water bottle, his shirt drenched in sweat. Damon wasn’t there yet, but he was always late so I wasn’t surprised. Spike, the dance instructor, slapped my ass as he walked in behind me. “Awright guys, let's start this practice!” He exclaimed, overwhelmingly British.  
“Dude, Damons like, not even here yet,” Rory said.  
Spike rolled his eyes. “And when has dat eva stopped us befoh, Rohry luv... “ He clapped his hands once again, “Get into your positions, I’ll take the place of our resident diva.” We all moved into our spots. Carlisle pressed play on the speaker, and the music began.

Halfway through our routine, I felt a pang in my shoulder. Shit. I reflexively clutched my shoulder, interrupting the complicated pose we were trying to master. Rory fell on his ass.  
“What the hell was that?” A voice from the back of the room scoffed. Damon had slipped in while we were practicing. I shot him a glare.  
“Lay off would you?” Jasper piped up, “Why don’t you try getting hit by a car and we’ll see how well you dance.”  
“That was ages ago, wasn’t it? He still hasn’t healed? Maybe I should take center then.”  
Carlisle came over to me with the first aid kit.  
“We should wrap it with compression bandages if it's hurting. You don’t want to reinjure it.”  
“Thanks Doctor.” I offered a slight grin in gratitude. I took off my hoodie and raised my arm. Damon rolled his eyes.  
“Once you’re done babying him, let's get back to the set.”  
“You weren’t here on time again,” Angel noted, his brow furrowed in annoyance.  
“The main character always comes late, Angel,” Damon smiled mockingly. Carlisle finished up on my shoulder, and I pulled my hoodie back on.  
Spike clapped his hands again. “Enuff squabblin, yeah? Are we ready or not?” He stepped back, leaving room for Damon to fill the space next to me. The music started again.


End file.
